Preview Bob Dylan’s Christmas In The Heart

Do you hear what I hear?

Clips from Bob Dylan’s second CD of 2009, Christmas In The Heart (out October 13) have hit the Internet, featuring a craggly-voiced Dylan lustily singing holiday standards. The revered singer-songwriter sounds like the Grinch who stole Christmas on “Here Comes Santa Claus,” plays with polka on “It Must Be Santa,” and croons tenderly on “Silver Bells.” He even gets down and dirty on “The Christmas Blues,” which sounds like it would fit on Modern Times.

The nomadic Dylan joins a prestigious list of artists who have recorded holiday albums, a list that includes James Brown, Canned Heat, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jehtro Tull, the Beach Boys, and the Jackson Five. Tori Amos will release her first holiday album, Midwinter Graces, on November 10.

Christmas In The Heart seems poised to become one of the all-time classics.

While the full track list hasn’t been confirmed on Bobdylan.com yet, it has been posted by Amazon.co.uk.

Christmas In The Heart:

1 Here Comes Santa Claus (Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman)
2 Do You Hear What I Hear? (Noel Regney, Gloria Shayne)
3 Winter Wonderland (Richard B. Smith, Felix Bernard )
4 Hark The Herald Angels Sing (Traditional )
5 I’ll Be Home For Christmas (Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, Buck Ram)
6 Little Drummer Boy (Katherine Davis, Henry V. Onorati, Harry Simeone)
7 The Christmas Blues (David Jack Holt, Sammy Cahn)
8 O’ Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) (Traditional )
9 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin )
10 Must Be Santa (Hal Moore, Bill Fredricks )
11 Silver Bells (Raymond B. Evans, Jay Livingston)
12 The First Noel (Traditional)
13 Christmas Island (Lyle Moraine)
14 The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells)
15 O’ Little Town Of Bethlehem (Traditional)